British sitcom star Pauline Quirke will step back from professional duties after being diagnosed with dementia.
Her husband, Steve Sheen, released a statement saying the Birds of a Feather actress had been diagnosed with the condition in 2021. The 65-year-old Quirke will now end all professional and commercial activities, Sheen’s statement read.
In recent years, she has been focused on The Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts, which provides extracurricular opportunities for young people who want to experience the performing arts.
Quirke is best known for her role as Sharon Theodopolopodous in British sitcom Birds of a Feather, which at its peak in the 1990s drew average audiences of over 12 million per episode. The show starred Quirke and Linda Robson as working-class Essex women who begin living together when their husbands are sent to prison for armed robbery.
Watch on Deadline
Its first run, which began on BBC1 in 1989, ended in 1998, and it was revived in 2014 for three more seasons on ITV, with a Christmas special in 2020, which didn’t feature Quirke, finally ending the show. The series finale marked Quirke’s final on-screen performance, in a six-decade career that included roles in ITV drama Broadchurch, Sky and NBC co-pro You, Me and the Apocalypse, Missing, Maisie Rain, Carrie’s War, North and South, Casualty, Cold Blood, My Family and Emmerdale. She acted in more than 60 TV programs and films in total.
Sheen announced Quirke’s diagnosis with a “heavy heart,” and added: “We are deeply grateful for the support of her peers, the public and the dedicated staff and Principals at PQA [Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts].
“We kindly request privacy and understanding for Pauline and our family during this difficult period. Pauline just wants to spend time with her family, children and grandchildren.”
Quirke and Sheen have pledged support to Alzheimer’s Research UK and will work with the charity to drive funds and awareness of dementia.
“We are very proud of what our family friend Scott Mitchell is doing with Alzheimer’s Research UK in his late wife Dame Barbara Windsor’s name, so, when we feel able, we will also align ourselves with the charity,” said Sheen.